Liberation of Slaver's Bay
The Liberation of Slaver's Bay is the first military campaign led by Daenerys Targaryen, with the goal of liberating the enslaved populace of Slaver's Bay in the continent of Essos. During this campaign Daenerys sacks Astapor, defeats the forces of Yunkai, and conquers the city of Meereen, where she stays to rule over Slaver's Bay. History Prelude After suffering betrayal and near imprisonment in Qarth, Daenerys departed the city on a ship bought with the plunder from Xaro Xhoan Daxos' manse with his long-time adviser and friend Jorah Mormont and a few dothraki"Valar Morghulis" The young Khaleesi and her followers landed on Astapor, one of the three slaver cities in the eponymous Slaver's Bay, where she took Ser Barristan Selmy into her service."Valar Dohaeris" Sack of Astapor Looking for a way to acquire an army to take the Iron Throne, Daenerys came to Astapor after Jorah Mormont told her about the prowess of the warrior-eunuchs, called the Unsullied. After witnessing the their brutal training and abuse at the hands of the Good Masters and the general squalor in which the slaves of the city had to live, she resolved to free them all. She negotiated with the Masters, agreeing to trade her dragon Drogon for the command over the Unsullied and, as a gift, their translator Missandei."Walk of Punishment" However, after the exchange, she ordered the Unsullied to slay the Masters and free all the slaves and commanded Drogon to torch Kraznys mo Nakloz, who had insulted her during her stay in the city. The Unsullied and the rampaging dragon then proceeded to sack and burn the city. Afterwards, Daenerys formally freed her new soldiers, who in return pledged to serve her as free men. Her army, 8,000 Unsullied strong, marched out of Astapor's gates."And Now His Watch is Ended" Battle of Yunkai The success at Astapor gave Daenerys the conviction to proceed with a campaign to free all the slaves of the region and cleanse the area of slavery. Her newfound army, with Grey Worm appointed as their commander, marched on the next target: Yunkai."Kissed by Fire" Near the city, she received the envoy Razdal mo Eraz, of the Wise Masters of Yunkai. She spurned his offer of gold and ships to guide her to Westeros in exchange for leaving them alone in their business, although she kept their gold."The Bear and the Maiden Fair (episode)" After finding out that Yunkai had employed a mercenary company called the Second Sons to stand against her Unsullied, she met with the captains and tried to persuade them to her cause, to no avail. Sensing an opportunity and smitten with the beauty of Daenerys, one of the captains, the ambitious Daario Naharis, killed his colleagues and pledged his company to Daenerys' cause."Second Sons (episode)" With Daario's insider knowledge, a small party of supporters, composed of Jorah Mormont, Grey Worm and himself, entered Yunkai through a back-gate to open the front-gates for the larger army. With the numerical advantage on their side, Yunkai fell within hours."The Rains of Castamere (episode)" The city then surrendered her slaves to Daenerys, who praised her as their 'Mother'."Mhysa" Siege of Meereen Whilst on the march for Meereen, the last and greatest of the slave-cities, Daenerys' army, now numbered in the ten-thousands and armed with siege engines, came across a series of crucified slave-children pointing towards the city. Daenerys was greatly angered by this provocation by the Great Masters."Two Swords" After her arrival before the gates, she found out that Meereen has send forth a champion to challenge her best fighter into single combat. Daario Naharis swiftly dispatched with the champion and Daenerys ordered the broken slave-collars from the slaves of Astapor and Yunkai be flung over the city-walls as a message to the slaves inside the city."Breaker of Chains" During the night, the Unsullied commander Grey Worm sneaked into Meereen through the sewers, disguised as a slave, to arm and incite the slaves to revolt against their Masters. In the following revolt many Masters were mobbed in the streets and the victorious slaves opened the gates for Daenerys. Her first act was retribution for the dead slave-children: 163 Great Masters were crucified along the streets of Meereen, whilst Daenerys took residence in the Great Pyramid."Oathkeeper" Rule over Meereen Although the Second Sons took hold of the Meereenese fleet, Daenerys learned that the council she left behind to rule Astapor had been overthrown by a butcher called Cleon who had installed himself as Emperor and that the Wise Masters of Yunkai had returned to power and enslaved all the freedmen in the city. Therefore, instead of marching to King's Landing in her newly acquired fleet and take the Iron Throne with her army, Daenerys decided to remain in Meereen to rule over Slaver's Bay and enforce her abolition of slavery."First of His Name" In order to accomplish this, she sent Hizdahr zo Loraq to Yunkai to negotiate with the Wise Masters: if they do not comply with her demands of abandoning slavery once and for all, Daario will send in his Second Sons and execute them all."Mockingbird" Then, Daenerys suffered three great subsequent losses for her cause. Firstly, after Tywin Lannister uncovered her adviser Jorah Mormont as a former spy for King's Landing"The Laws of Gods and Men", she was forced to exile him."The Mountain and the Viper" Secondly, having been shown that her abolition of slavery left many former servants in an even more precarious position, she begrudgingly accepted the creation of one-year contracts, effectively reintroducing slavery in all but name. Lastly, when Drogon killed the daughter of a local goatherd and then disappeared, she decided to lock up her remaining two dragons in the catacombs."The Children" In the books References Category:Wars